Retro Metro

Play the BMT and IRT companies and impact the future of public transport in NYC. See if you could lead NYC to a more sustainable future with better public transport leadership.

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Inspiration

As New Yorkers, we were inspired by the retro theme and the unique history of our subway system, which underwent rapid expansion at the turn of the century due to the competition of private companies and contracts submitted by the local government.

What it does

We created a two-player game that involves playing as either the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) or the Brooklyn Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT). Players bid to gain contracts from the government to build stations, which further generate profit. Building all the stations of an entire subway line would provide a multiplier to all of the profit generated by those stations.

The game starts in 1880, when the first elevated lines were being constructed in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Each further decade represents the next turn, with new contracts being available for bid. In 1930, an NPC player representing the Independent System (IND) will "steal" all of the unclaimed lines, giving players one more turn to finish building the contracts that they already have. In 1940, the game ends as IND buys out both companies, and the player with the most capital wins.

How we built it

For the frontend, we created a single-page application using Vite and React, with the map component sourced from Leaflet.

For the backend, we created a server using FastAPI.

The networking involved a WebSocket.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest change involved creating a coherent and robust networking system between the frontend (client) and backend (server). The frontend and backend were being worked on by different members of our team, so figuring out the schema of the data that was being sent from the server to the client and vice versa took significant discussion and revision.

What's next for Retro Metro

We aim to increase more options for players to spend their money, including station upgrades, better rolling stock (train cars), and allowing players to trade contracts. This will allow players to take on different and unique play styles and strategies. We also hope to show more of the sustainability benefits of trains through this game as it expands closer to modern times and the future.

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